Greenway patrons now have over 2.5 miles of connected greenway to use in northwest Knoxville. The City held a ribbon cutting for the extension of Northwest Greenway on Wednesday, January 10, 2007, at 2 p.m. in the back of the Northwest Middle School Park, located at 5301 Pleasant Ridge Rd. The 0.9-mile extension begins close to the first tee of the disc golf course in Victor Ashe Park and continues through the park, along Third Creek until it ends at Northwest Middle School Park. This new extension will connect two heavily used greenways (Northwest and Victor Ashe greenways), and three large City parks (Badgett Fields, Victor Ashe and Northwest Middle School parks). "This greenway extension accomplishes every purpose of a greenway," explained Mayor Bill Haslam. "It provides safe, accessible transportation for pedestrians and bikers; it connects key city facilities, including a middle school; it preserves natural, scenic areas along a tributary of Third Creek; and it has a native plant buffer between the greenway and the creek which will help to filter pollutants from entering our water."

The project was funded by a $571,250 federal TEA 21 grant, and a $114,250 match by the City. Residents and Knox County Schools donated the easements for the greenway. Lose and Associates designed the project, while the City Engineering Department oversaw the construction, completed by Southern Construction.

Completion of the project was expected six months earlier, but was delayed due to a required FEMA permit for bridges along the creek. FEMA's dealings with Hurricane Katrina delayed the processing of the permit.Some features of the greenway extension include the scenic route along Third Creek, the pond in Victor Ashe Park, and three bridges over water."This greenway is unique because the connection it creates between three significant parks suddenly provides an abundance of recreation," said Senior Director of Knoxville Community and Neighborhood Services Sam Anderson, noting the 6 large soccer fields, disc golf course, dog park, playgrounds, picnic shelters, 6 baseball fields, football field, two tennis courts, roller hockey court, and fishing pond that are all now connected by the new greenway extension. Said Anderson, "This project has demonstrated the full potential that greenways have of impacting a community."